The Collected Crime Novels Volume Three: Betrayal, Keep Me Close, and Unforgotten

Clare Francis

Jun 2018 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

Gripping suspense from the international bestselling British novelist who writes “crime novels with action to keep you guessing until the very end” (Daily Mail).
 
New York Times–bestselling British novelist Clare Francis has proven again and again that she “has serious crime writing talent” (The Mail on Sunday). These psychological thrillers involve murdered mistresses, mysterious stalkers, and taut courtroom drama.
 
Betrayal: Businessman Hugh Wellesley’s life takes an unexpected turn when he learns that the stabbed and bound corpse of his mistress, Sylvie Mathieson, has been dredged from the River Dart. Embroiled in a company buyout and unwilling to admit to his affair, Wellesley is brought up on criminal charges—despite the unsettlingly fierce support he receives from his sickly wife, Ginny. As the trial date looms and new suspects arise, unraveling the real circumstances of Sylvie’s death becomes paramount.
 
“Fascinating . . . a grown-up thriller, highly recommended.” —The Washington Post Book World
 
Keep Me Close: Catherine Galitza is viciously attacked by an intruder in her own home, thrown down the stairwell, and left with serious injuries. As she recovers, she works to solve the mystery of her attacker’s identity, focusing on the barrage of nuisance phone calls she’s been receiving for months. Catherine begins to consider the idea of a stalker, a watcher who has become obsessed, playing a silent role in her life. Two men are curiously intent on helping her discover the truth—Simon Jardine, her husband’s business partner; and Terry Devlin, an Irish hotelier she has known since youth. But are the men in her life who they seem to be?
 
“Francis is adept at creating a mood of suspense . . . authentically chilling.” —The Times (London)
 
Unforgotten: Lawyer Hugh Gwynne’s client Tom Deacon is seeking damages after a car accident in which he witnessed the death of his young daughter. The case seems poised for victory as a result of the man’s PTSD. But when an anonymous letter arrives for Gwynne, he finds himself confronting an impossible ethical dilemma. And when he experiences his own tragic loss, Gwynne can’t shake the feeling that his client may not be as innocent as he claims . . .
 
“Devilishly clever . . . unputdownable.” —Daily Mail

About the author

Clare Francis (b. 1946) is a bestselling writer of crime novels and thrillers, and a former yachtswoman. After studying at the Royal Ballet School and University College London, she set off on an unplanned five-year career in sailing. Francis sailed solo across the Atlantic, and took part in several high-profile races, including the Whitbread Round the World Race. After writing three works of nonfiction about her adventures, she started writing novels. Her first novel, Night Sky, was a number one Sunday Times bestseller and spent six weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. More thrillers followed, and her first crime novel, Deceit, was dramatized for television. Since then she has written crime, suspense, and historical literary fiction. Her books have been translated into twenty languages and published in over thirty countries. Francis is a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, a Fellow of University College London, and an Honorary Fellow of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. For the past eighteen years she has been committed to the charity Action for ME, and she herself has had ME (also known as post viral fatigue syndrome, or chronic fatigue syndrome) for many years. Francis lives in London and the Isle of Wight.